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George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah Category Athlete Tribe Comanche Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 12/3/1978 George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah is an enrolled Comanche Tribal Member, husband and father of five, CEO of three tribal companies, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, and winner of four middleweight boxing championship titles. He launched his boxing career in 2004. His titles include: 2008 Native American Boxing Council’s Super Middleweight Champion, 2011 World Boxing Council’s Continental Americas Middleweight Champion, 2012 North American Boxing Association’s US Middleweight Champion, and 2014 Oklahoma Super Middleweight Boxing Champion. His other awards include 2011’s Top 40 under 40 Native American Entrepreneur, Goodwill Ambassador Award from the World Boxing Council for his fight against diabetes, and the American Indian Exposition’s 2012 Celebrity Indian of the Year award. Tahdooahnippah, had the largest fan base in Oklahoma, and was accompanied to the ring with Native American dancers in full regalia, Native American Drum group, and Native American Rappers. Tahdooahnippah said, “No fighter in the world brought what I brought to the ring.” From the pound of the Native American drum to the breath-taking display of Native American Fancy War Dancers, to the hip hop sounds of his Native American rappers. Comanche Boy topped it off with his power punching, fan friendly style, knocking his opponent’s out. He then performed his own victory war dance. Tahdooahnippah built a nine-year 31-0 boxing career before his first loss. He fought four ESPN fights including one undercard, HBO pay per view fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “When I started on this journey, nobody believed in me. But I kept going. This has been the highest honor I carried as a professional fighter and I did my best representing my Native American people,” said Tahdooahnippah. He retired from boxing in 2016 with a record of 34 wins, 3 losses, 3 draws and 2 no contests. Home 2026 Banquet About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

< Back Tanner Albers Tanner Albers Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Tanner Albers was a team captain for the 1994 and 1995 Boys Basketball Teams at Takini High in South Dakota. In both of those years he was the team’s leading scorer, earning All-State and All-Tournament honors while leading the Skyhawks to back-to-back state tournament appearances. He was also a team captain for the 1997-98 United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) Thunderbirds where he led them to the school’s first Junior College National Tournament appearance. That year he earned 1st Team Mon-Dak All-Region, Mon-Dak Region 8 Player of the Year, and was the school’s first, 1st Team All-American. Tanner is currently still the school’s all-time leading scorer UTTC. Tanner played for the Division I Delaware State University Hornets for the 1998-99 season and finished up his collegiate basketball career at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Up until his passing in 2010, Tanner had traveled across North America, playing in many basketball tournaments with teams Iron 5, Iron Boy, Rim Rats, Pure Method, and many others. He would often receive MVP, All-Star, and others honors because of his amazing scoring and shooting talents. He had the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level and was a co-creator of HOOPGOD Basketball Camps. <Back

The North Americans Team/Builders 2025 Induction Category: Year Inducted <Back The North Americans were a men’s major fast pitch team comprised of Indigenous players from the US and Canada. From 1989 to 1997, they traveled North America playing in softball tournaments, while establishing the “Straight Arrow” Program. The program was conceptualized and promoted to encourage Native peoples to say NO to drugs and alcohol. Each tournament coincided with speaking engagements at local community halls, schools, and correctional facilities to speak of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The 1993-1994 season proved to be a banner year for the North Americans as they were crowned All-Indian Fast Pitch Tournament National Champions and qualified for the 1993 International Softball Congress (ISC) World Fast Pitch Tournament as the only all-Native team to qualify at Kimberly, Wisconsin and 1994 Prince Edward Island, Canada Tournament that had teams from the US, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. At the 1993 ISC World Tournament, they finished 33rd in the world. During the leadup to the 1994 ISC World Tournament, they won seven games at the 1993 41st All-Indian Men’s Fast Pitch National Tournament in Oklahoma City, OK to capture their third straight national title becoming the first team to do so. Needing to win a qualifying tournament for the 1994 ISC World Tournament, the team traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to play in the Blue-Gray Invitational, which had 34 teams vying for one qualifying spot. Going undefeated and winning six games, they qualified for their second ever ISC World Tournament. At the 1994 ISC World Tournament, they finished 47th in the world and made it back in 1995 in Sioux City, Iowa finishing 17th, 33rd in 1996 in Kimberly, Wisconsin, and 33rd in 1997 in Victoria, British Colombia. The 1993-94 roster included JoJo Barnett, Creek Nation; William (Bill) Berry, Apache; Ken Billingsley, Hunkpapa Lakota; Rich Brewer, Oglala Sioux; Mike Henson, Comanche; Frank La Mere (Coach & Manager), Winnebago; Mark Lunderman, Rosebud Sioux; Tuffy Lunderman, Rosebud Sioux; Jim McClung, Comanche; Darwin "Flip"; Snyder, Winnebago; Eric Tiger, Creek Nation; Tony Valladolid, Winnebago; Mike Joseph, Iroquois; Earl LaForte, Ojibway; Lyle Normand, Cree; and Wayne "Windy"; Ward, Choctaw.

< Back Billy Mills Billy Mills Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Billy Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He is Oglala Lakota and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Billy did not have an easy childhood. Surrounded by poverty and orphaned at the age of 12, he started running to channel his energy into something positive. In high school, his gift for running become more apparent as he set records in numerous track events. He went on to earn a track scholarship from the University of Kansas and then served as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps. At the 1964 Olympics, he shocked the world and came from behind to win the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race. At the time, he set a world record of 28 minutes, 24.4 seconds and is still the only American to ever win a gold medal in the 10K event. His win was an upset that has been called the second greatest moment in Olympic history. In Lakota culture, someone who achieves great success has a ‘giveaway’ to thank the support system of family and friends who helped him achieve his goal. As part of his effort to give back to his community, Billy helped found Running Strong for American Indian Youth and became the organization’s National Spokesperson. Today Billy travels over 300 days every year. He visits Native American communities throughout the U.S. and speaks to youth about healthy lifestyles and taking pride in their heritage. Photo Credit: Billy Mills <Back

< Back Shiloh Butts Shiloh Butts Chickasaw Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Shiloh Butts was born and raised in southern Oklahoma. Butts was involved in archery since he was four years old. He began competing in both traditional and compound classes at the age of 13 on the state level, slowly expanding out regionally and then nationally. After graduating high school, he stopped competing in the compound class and focused on competing in 3D tournaments in traditional archery, primarily in the longbow division. Butts won multiple state titles in recurve, longbow, and self-bow in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas as well as being crowned IBO World Champion in 2014 and 2017 in the Longbow Division and in 2015 and 2021 in the Self-bow division. In the summer of 2022, Butts qualified in the top position of the longbow division to represent the United States Archery Team at the World Archery 3D Championships in Terni, Italy in September 2022. Fortunately, during the weeklong tournament, he was able shoot well and earn the Bronze Medal competing against the best longbow archers in the world. He hopes to make the USA Archery team again to represent our country at the next championships in 2024. <Back

< Back Robert ‘Bob’ Gawboy Robert ‘Bob’ Gawboy Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Although the sport of swimming isn’t often associated with Native Americans, Robert ‘Bob’ Gawboy became an aquatic sensation, setting high school and collegiate records, eventually going on to break a world record in 1955. Bob Gawboy was born on the Vermilion Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota, on June 28, 1932. At the age of 14, his family moved to Ely where he attended Ely High School. Bob joined the swim team because it practiced at noon and he could then take the bus home after school, instead of walking 10 miles. In 1949, Ely High School won the state championship. Bob placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke. The following year, he broke a state record in the 200-yard free, and set national high school records in two IM events. He went on to Purdue, placing first in the 150-yard IM at the East-West collegiate competition. In 1952, at the NCAA Nationals he placed second in the 150-yard IM. Suffering from coordination problems, and a congenital arterial condition of his left leg, he was forced to stop swimming. After surgery on his leg, he started working out again in February, 1955, at the University of Minnesota, on a scholarship. Despite the two year hiatus and short time training, Bob shocked the sports world on April 1, 1955 at the AAU Indoor National Championship at Yale, where he swam the 220-yard breaststroke in 2:38.0, cracking the world-record. The pain in his leg was so severe during the race and the pent-up emotion over two years so great, that, upon winning, he erupted in whoops and hollers that was called war-whoops by the press with celebratory splashing around the pool. Bob Gawboy passed away on July 15, 1987 from multiple sclerosis, but not before he was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in Lawrence, Kansas, as the sole swimmer. Photo Credits: Purdue University and AP/Wide World Photos <Back

< Back George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. Osage Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 George Robert “GR” Carter Jr. is a retired professional race horse jockey. Carter was named the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion Jockey ten times in his career including six years consecutively from 2003-2007. No other jockey has won more than five titles. He finished his career as the all time leader in AQHA racing with $75,799,513 in mount earnings and also is the leader by wins with 4,013. Carter is proud of his native Osage heritage and he was born and raised in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He attended Indian Camp elementary school and graduated from Pawhuska High School in 1986. As a teenager, he was a competitive gymnast and won the state championship when he was 12 years old. During his senior year at Pawhuska High School, Carter won the Class A State Wrestling Championship at 108 pounds. Growing up, Carter was involved in ranching and rodeo, which helped develop his love of horses. At age 14, he began galloping race horses for a local trainer to help fund his rodeo participation. Throughout his senior year in high school, he would occasionally ride races on the weekends at Blue Ribbon Downs and Eureka Downs. After graduating from high school in 1986, Carter moved to Sallisaw, OK to become a full-time jockey at Blue Ribbon Downs. Carter won the All American Futurity twice, in 1998 aboard Falling in Love Again in 2008 aboard Stolis Winner. In 2008, Carter set a new AQHA single-season earnings record by reaching the $5,027,173 mark in mount earnings. May 31, 2009 was declared by Governor Brad Henry as GR Carter Day in Oklahoma. Carter was known throughout the racing world for his “back-flip” dismounts. After winning a stakes race, he often used his gymnastics background to celebrate by performing a back-flip off of the horse form the saddle. GR rode and won his first officially recognized race at 16 years of age in 1984 on a mare named Beas Jester owned and trained by his father George. He finished his career winning the Los Alamitos 2 Million on Flash and Roll in December 2018. Carter and his wife Shaena reside in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In his spare time, Carter is an avid team roper. He will occasionally enter professional rodeos, and own the Pro-Am at the 2007 World Series of Team Roping. <Back

< Back Fawn Porter Fawn Porter Lower Cayuga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2026 Fawn Porter has played lacrosse since she was as tall as the goal post. Growing up in Six Nations, Fawn was one of the few girls to play box lacrosse. Her dad, seeing her competitive nature, placed her in box lacrosse and the rest is history. She has represented her community at the provincial, national, and world stage. Fawn Porter played in the minors for the Six Nations Warriors, where they were the first ever Six Nation’s girl’s box lacrosse team to win the Pool A Championship of Ontario. Fawn continued to the national level with the first ever Team Iroquois in 2013 where she was named to the all-star team. Fawn Porter later joined Team Ontario to compete nationally and won a silver medal. Playing box lacrosse was for the love of the game. There was no higher league to elevate to. Fawn tried field lacrosse at Western University, as any discipline of lacrosse will fuel her desire to play. She earned two golds and a bronze during her time at Western University and was named to the all-star team as well as being named as a captain. With the support of family, Fawn played with the Haudenosaunee Nationals for the first time in 2022 at the Women’s National Championship in Maryland, as well as the first Sixes team playing at the World Games in Alabama. Fawn was also named captain of the first Haudenosaunee Women’s World box lacrosse team that won the bronze medal at the first Women’s World Box Lacrosse Championships. She was also a part of the 2025 Haudenosaunee Nationals Women’s Field Team that earned their first bronze medal. Fawn continues striving to remain in the training pools for the three disciplines of box, field, and sixes lacrosse with the Haudenosaunee Nationals. She continues to let lacrosse take her around the world, spreading the good medicine. Fawn is an ambassador for the World Box Lacrosse Global Network (WBLGN) and found her new love of coaching through her first coaching experience with the First Nation’s U15 Girl’s Box team that travelled to Halifax. Fawn continues assisting lacrosse programs in her community as she loves connecting with the youth through lacrosse. <Back

< Back Phillip Castillo Phillip Castillo Acoma Pueblo Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Phil Castillo is from the Pueblo of Acoma, one of nineteen Pueblos in the state of New Mexico. Acoma is located approximately 60 miles west of Albuquerque. Phil attended Grants High School in Grants, NM graduating in 1989. He was a 4-time state champion, two in Cross-Country and two titles in Track. In 1989 he qualified for the Kinney Cross-Country Championships in San Diego, CA as one of thirty-two finalists across the country. He finished that race eighth overall and became a High School All American. Upon completing high school, Phil attended Adams State University (ASU), and was the 1992 NCAA DII National Champion, becoming the first Native American to win an NCAA championship. He finished with nine All American honors at ASU. In 2000 he competed in the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a member of the US Army’s World Class Athlete Program. After the Olympic trials, he continued his career in the US Army as a Logistics Officer and retired as a Major in 2019. Phil is married to Wendy and they have four daughters and one grandson. He is an assistant cross-country and track distance coach at Alamosa High School in Colorado. He has aspirations of coaching at the collegiate level and is completing a second Master’s degree from Concordia University this winter. Through running Phil has been able to see the world several times over and he is truly blessed every day for all the gifts that have been given to him. <Back

Joy SpearChief-Morris Category Athlete Tribe Blackfoot (Blood Kainai) Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 3/17/1994 Joy is an Indigenous Black Canadian writer, advocate, and athlete. She is a proud member of the Kainai Blood Tribe and grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. Joy is a retired 100m hurdler in athletics, three-time Canadian National Championship finalist and two-time Team Canada member. As a member of Team Canada, she is a 2014 North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 silver medalist and a fifth place finisher at the 2019 FISU World Universidad. She has sat on the AthletesCAN Board of Directors and Athletics Canada’s Athletes Council, and now sits on the AthletesCAN Diversity and Equity Advisory Committee. Joy has achieved several notable accolades. Most notably, she was the 2016 and 2017 OUA Female Track MVP, 2017 USports Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner, 2017 Tom Longboat Award winner and the featured cover athlete for the 2019 May/June issue of Canadian Running Magazine. Joy has a Bachelor’s degree in History and First Nations Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Science specializing in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction from Western University. Joy is now pursuing a career as a journalist, having bylines in The Globe and Mail and CBC Sports. She is currently in the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University. Home 2026 Banquet About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More

Mark Burnam <Back Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2022 Mark “Redman” Burnam is truly a rare, unique and influential individual in the sport of lacrosse. Burnam has touched many lives from among his community, his country and around the world by sharing his passion for competition, coaching, and storytelling. His early introduction to lacrosse as a Mohawk child started a life-long relationship that continues to this day as one of the true ambassadors of the sport. With a playing career punctuated by winning, he started by winning the 1980 NYS Lacrosse Championship earning MVP at Henninger High School. Burnam played at Syracuse University and in 1983 won a NCAA D 1 National Championship and in 1984 were Runners-up. Mark has decades of international experience both as a player and a coach. Burnam was a 5-X World team captain with the Iroquois Nationals and was a professional NLL player from 1987-1998 with NJ Saints, Buffalo Bandits winning two World Champions in 1992 and 1993 finishing up with Rochester and finally the Syracuse Smash. Burnam was the head coach at IMG Academy from 2016-19 and he currently is the head coach of the Iroquois Nationals U19 world team. Red has coached both as the head and assistant coach of Iroquois National teams for the past 12 years. Maybe his greatest impact is as a coach is where he continues to influence youth, adolescent, and professional athletes, teaching the meaning and value of the sport as a character-builder for all who choose to play and learn. Burnam’s notable and easily recognizable tough and relentless playing style is exceeded only by his enthusiasm, love, and infectious sense of humor with family, friends, colleagues, and those for whom he forever calls Team. Bio credit: Dan Witmer, quotes legends of lake placid bio

Katie Taylor Category Athlete Tribe Lac Courte Oreilles Year Inducted 2022 D.O.B. 5/29/98 Katie Taylor is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe. She is a six-time All American and a National Champion. In high school, she competed in basketball and track for Hayward High School (WI). In 2014, she was the Wisconsin Division 2 State Runner-up in the shot put and discus. She graduated from college in 2021 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which focuses on three areas of study including Math, IT, and Indigenous Studies. Her future goals include becoming fluent in her native Ojibwe language and relearning cultural significances she has lost over the years. Katie is in her senior season at Minnesota State University – Mankato. In the 2021 Outdoor season, she was named First Team All-American in the discus throw after finishing fifth at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships while also competing in the shot put and finishing 14th. She earned all-conference honors in the shot put, hammer throw and discus throw, finishing fourth in all three events at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set career bests in the discus throw at 49.85m (163'6") and hammer throw at 55.54m (182'3") at the Maverick Classic. During the 2021 Indoor season, she earned the national championship in the weight throw, setting a school record with a throw of 21.17m (69'5.5") at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. She earned first-team All-American honors in the shot put, finishing seventh at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also earned all-conference honors in the shot put and weight throw, finishing fourth and second respectively at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships. During the 2020 Indoor season, she earned all-conference honors in the shot put and weight throw, finishing fourth in both events at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships. In 2017, Katie was Indoor Shot Put NSIC Champion while attending Winona State University. She was the 2017 Indoor Weight Throw 3rd place at NSIC Championships, the Outdoor Shot Put 3rd place at NSIC Championships, the Outdoor Discus 3rd Place at NSIC Championships and 2017 Outdoor Shot Put 3rd Place at the NCAA Championships. Home 2026 Banquet About Inductee Search Provincial Nominees Contact More